Movement, colour and character 🌾

Some plants bring colour to the garden. Others bring movement.

Pennisetum does both.

With its elegant foliage and characteristic bottlebrush-like flower spikes, Pennisetum is one of those ornamental grasses that really comes to life when the wind moves through it.

From soft cream and silvery tones to deep burgundy and almost black flower spikes, there is much more variation within this genus than you might expect.

This week, we are taking a closer look at some of our favourites.

Something you don’t see every day - Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Neon Lights’

The name already gives away that this is not your average Pennisetum.

‘Neon Lights’ immediately stands out with its remarkable neon-yellow flower stems, topped with creamy-white flower plumes.

The contrast between the bright stems, soft plumes and green foliage gives this variety a completely different appearance from the more traditional Pennisetum selections.

It forms a compact and dense plant, reaching approximately 80 cm in height and 40 cm in width.

Add good drought tolerance, winter hardiness and low maintenance requirements, and you have an interesting variety for borders, prairie-style planting and containers.

A real eye-catcher – even from a distance.

Dark or fluffy?

Two very different varieties, both with plenty of character.

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Black Beauty’ is all about contrast.

Its dark, almost black flower spikes rise above the fresh green foliage and give the plant a strong, dramatic appearance.

Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Foxtrot’, on the other hand, has large, fluffy flower spikes and an elegant upright habit.

Where Black Beauty creates depth and contrast, Foxtrot brings softness and movement.

Small plant, big effect - Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Tiny Twinkler’

Not every ornamental grass needs a lot of space.

‘Tiny Twinkler’ stays remarkably compact, reaching only around 40 cm in height and width, including its flower spikes.

Its neat flower plumes rise clearly above the foliage, giving the plant a well-balanced and elegant appearance.

It flowers throughout summer and autumn and combines its compact growth with drought tolerance, good winter hardiness and very low maintenance requirements.

That makes it particularly interesting for smaller gardens, borders and containers.

And there is more to discover

Of course, our Pennisetum assortment goes beyond these highlighted varieties.

‘Hameln’ remains a popular compact classic, with abundant creamy-white to soft brown flower spikes.

‘Herbstzauber’ brings warm seasonal tones and decorative flower spikes into the autumn garden.

‘Red Head’ stands out with large reddish-purple plumes, while ‘Viridescens’ produces dark purple to almost black flower spikes.

For something softer and more graceful, Pennisetum orientale ‘Fairy Tails’ produces long, silky, pinkish-white flower spikes that arch gently above the foliage.

And for very compact planting, ‘Little Bunny’ remains a useful choice for smaller gardens and containers.

From compact to dramatic

That is what makes Pennisetum so versatile.

From the bright stems of ‘Neon Lights’ and the dark plumes of ‘Black Beauty’ to the compact growth of ‘Tiny Twinkler’, every variety brings something different to the assortment.

At Hoogenraad, we offer our Pennisetum varieties as young plants for further cultivation.

Discover the possibilities in our current availability list and find the varieties that fit your assortment for the coming season. 🌱

• P9 -> 80 pcs / variety
• P12 -> 75 pcs / variety
• P14, C2 -> 50 pcs / variety
• C3 and bigger -> 25 pcs / variety